All she ever wanted was to be noticed. Not in the way you might think, though that would be nice too. She wanted to be seen. She wanted to know the universe anticipated her arrival each day. That who she was and brought with her was appreciated and valued in their sight.

She never wanted to be someone others made exscuses for. If only she did this or that. She grew tired of the way others seem to tolerate her voice in the room. Her daring to stand their toe toe with them. Why not she would tell herself. Why the hell not?

But they kept missing her, seeing through her, waiting for her to pause so they could skip over her and move on to someone else. Someone more deserving they likened. That someone in a tie with bass in the voice.

And while they were doing that. All that ignoring, all that pausing, all that ignorant apologizing. Each time they kept her out of sight, she was preparing her insights.

She was preparing insights that shape policy and laws and annual statement bottom lines. Insights that change communities and paid attention to those most out of sight and overlooked.

And whle they were plotting how to keep her busy and complacent but mostly out of the way, she broke through that jibberish.

And her insights made her a force to be reckoned with everywhere. All while they stoodby just in time to look up and ask, “Who is that and where did she come from?”